Half size document binding is becoming more and more popular, but finding stocked half size binding supplies and accessories can still cause a problem for many people. At Binding101, however, we stock several different options for binding half size 8.5" x 5.5" documents. Here we outline those methods, showing you just how easy it is to bind half-letter size pages.

    • Half Size Ring Binders -- When we first started manufacturing these mini binders, people went berserk! I can't tell you how many times we were told "oh my gosh, we can't find these ANYWHERE" and "man I wish I came here first...it would have save me a ton of time". Since then, the popularity has only grown, so we now offer several different kinds of half size binders, so you can get exactly what you need. Choose from poly plastic binders, clear view binders, and even custom printed mini binders. Check out the video at the end of this post showing you what a half size binder looks like.

    • Binding Machine with Disengageable Pins - If your document binding machine has disengageable pins, then you can easily adapt it to punch and bind for half size 8.5" x 5.5" sheets as well! Just slide your sheets into the punch opening and line it up, centering the holes. Then pull out that last pin to prevent it from punching and leaving a half-punched hole on your pages. It is simple as that!

    • Custom Order Binding Spine Lengths - Now you need to make sure you have the right supplies for your binding project. Depending on the kind of binding style that you are doing, you can either cut the binding spines down to size yourself, or order custom bindings that we pre-cut down for you. We can custom cut plastic GBC comb bindings, wire-o twin loop binding supplies, spiral coil bindings, and more.

    • Custom Binding Covers - Don't forget to get some custom cut covers in the half size 8.5" x 5.5" to go along with your mini book bindings. You can, of course, cut down standard letter size covers to stock as well, but getting a custom cut binding report covers removes a lot of the labor, time, and cost (especially if you don't have a high capacity cutter in-house).

    • Binding Rings - If you want to bind mini 8.5" x 5.5" pages, and don't want a machine or traditional ring binder, than you can use our loose leaf binder rings. They just pull open and snap shut, and you can use as many of them as you want along your binding edge, so you are not restricted to a certain hole pattern. They fit into any standard hole punch (like the ones on 3-hole punchers), so there is no need to buy a special punching machine either (unless you are doing thick stacks, then a paper drill is a good idea!).

    • Screw Posts - Just as with book binding rings, Chicago screw posts are also a great way to bind half size paper without a machine. Use a single one in the corner of your stack, or use three in a standard ring configuration, or use any other punching pattern you want. They fit into the standard hole punch size too, so you don't even need a special hole punch machine.


So there you have it! Binding half-letter size documents is much easier than some people think, and can be accomplished very quickly and with little hassle. Some of our customer that make half size books use these binding methods to make church directories, gold club pamphlets, medical history books, and even city and government employee manuals.


Mallory Morsa, Binding101 Product Expert About the Author • Mallory Morsa is the product expert and content specialist at Binding101, and has been a valued team member since 2008. She started her career here in customer service, moved onto sales supervisor, product management, and then onto content. She takes a hands-on approach to products, and truly gets to know how every item works before she writes about them, with a goal to give you all of the honest information you need to make a confident buying decision. She has a bachelor's degree with a focus on management and marketing, and has been a writer, photographer, and videographer for many years. In her free time, she loves to read by the pool, volunteer at the local animal shelter in the kitten nursery, and snuggle her three furbabies while she binge watches Netflix.